Immersion freezing as a promising strategy for enhancing the quality stability of frozen precooked chicken breast

The industrial application of precooked poultry is hindered by quality deterioration during short-term frozen storage (up to 30 days), while high-efficiency cryogenic methods like liquid nitrogen freezing remain costly. This study compared four freezing methods, air freezing (AF), -80 o C freezing (UF), ternary immersion freezing (IF, consisting of ethanol, 10% glucose solution and distilled water), and liquid nitrogen freezing (NF), to identify a sustainable approach for maintaining the quality stability of frozen precooked chicken breast. IF and NF produced smaller and more uniformly distributed ice crystals, effectively preserving sarcomere integrity and water-holding capacity while suppressing protein aggregation and lipid oxidation. After 30 days of frozen storage, IF maintained similar physicochemical stability as NF but with substantially lower operational costs. These findings demonstrate that IF provides a cost- and energy-efficient alternative to cryogenic freezing, offering new insights into the sustainable processing of high-quality precooked poultry products. • SV samples exhibited less quality deterioration compared to TB samples frozen for 7 and 30 days. • IF and NF generated smaller ice crystals, reducing mechanical damage to muscle microstructure. • IF and NF effectively maintained Z-line and M-line integrity after 30 days. • IF and NF delayed lipid oxidation, maintaining TBARS values over 30 days of frozen storage. • Immersion freezing is a cost-effective and scalable alternative for industrial application.